WHAT LOOKED LIKE ordinary balikbayan boxes meant for families back home turned out to be part of a large-scale drug smuggling attempt. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) seized more than 110 kilograms of suspected shabu worth an estimated ₱749 million during an interdiction operation conducted at around 11:30 a.m. on July 7, 2025, at the Manila International Container Port in Tondo, Manila. The operation was carried out inside Container Facility Station 3, where four balikbayan boxes arriving from California were inspected and found 106 vacuum-sealed plastic packs filled with white crystalline substances carefully concealed in boxes of cereal, snack packs, and instant noodles.
Shabu In Balikbayan Boxes
Photo by Danny Querubin